Well-Designed Hierarchical Co3O4 Architecture as a Long-Life and Ultrahigh Rate Capacity Anode for Advanced Lithium-Ion Batteries

In a simple strategy of mild heat-assistant precipitation followed by annealing in air, hierarchical Co3O4 flower-like microspheres self-constructed by porous nanosheets are synthesized in bulk and tested as an anode material for advanced lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Benefited from its high porosity and specific surface area as well as a necessary short activation, the as-prepared architecture shows an enhanced lithium storage performance of high capacity, long-life cycle, and ultrahigh rate capacity compared with the great majority of reported and commercial Co3O4 materials. Especially, it delivers a reversible capacity of 715 mAh g(-1) after 1000 cycles under a current density of 1000 mA g(-1) with a coulombic efficiency of more than 99%. When the electrode is laid aside for 5 d and recycled again, it can reach upward of 680 mAh g(-1) for another 150 cycles. Such an impressive electrochemical performance indicates that the hierarchical Co3O4 flower-like microspheres can be a promising electrode material of advanced LIBs in future.